The City of Noblesville will open The Lodge at Forest Park as a temporary warming center, a heated facility where residents can go to find safe refuge from extreme weather. Wind chills in Central Indiana are expected to drop to 20 to 40 below zero in the next two days. At those temperatures it can take less than 10 minutes to develop frostbite.

“The warming center is intended as a safe place for individuals and families who experience loss of heat in their homes during this time or those that need a welcoming place to temporarily get out of the extreme cold and warm up,” said Mayor John Ditslear. “The paramount goal is to provide a centralized location to prevent death or injury from exposure to the elements.”

The City of Noblesville is partnering with the Noblesville Township Trustee’s Office to offer warming stations. The Lodge at Forest Park will be open 8 p.m. tonight to 8 a.m. Wednesday morning and again from 5 p.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday morning. During the day, those in need of a place to get out of the cold are encouraged to visit the Noblesville Township Trustee Community Center, 372 S. Eighth Street, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

“We will have a full staff available to assist and are happy to partner with the city. This is important to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents,” Noblesville Township Trustee Tom Kenley said.

The city encourages residents to stay indoors due to the wind chill temperatures unless they need to be outside or travel.